City Lights
by MelindaM
Summary: Maxie Jones is pursuing a fashion career in New York City when she encounters a familiar face who changes her perspective on life and love.


****I'm so glad to be writing again. A few of you have asked me recently to write another Jason & Maxie story, so here we are! The fact that NaNoWriMo started today really got me motivated. Please review and send me your thoughts and your speculations of what might happen. If there are some good ones, I'll address them before the next chapter.

So far the first chapter is the only thing completed, but the next few chapters have been outlined and are waiting to be written.

Important notes:

Sam did find her son, but Jason is not the father.

Jason is not dead (obviously).

My knowledge of fashion does not extend beyond Project Runway, so just go with it.

I also don't know anything about New York... we're off to a great start.

I hope you enjoy it!

:)

**Chapter 1: Postcard**

Lennon heard an audible sigh from across the room and rolled her eyes. "Really? It's not even lunch yet. Don't let Federico hear you. He'll flip and that's the last thing any of us need today. Although, it would probably be a fitting end to this disastrous week."

"That sigh had nothing to do with the designs." Maxie retorted, slowly letting out a deep breath. "Have you seen that skirt he wants to send down the runway though? I mean, I'm all for starting new trends but there is no way I'd be caught dead in something like that."

Fashion was Maxie's life. She lived and breathed couture. New York City was the perfect place for Maxie Jones. Port Charles could never come close. Since leaving three years ago, Maxie had made quite a name for herself in the fashion world. She left Crimson behind and started working with an old friend, Federico. He trusted her judgment and allowed her to do things another relative newbie would have only dreamed of. The experiences she'd had in just six months in the city were more meaningful than the few years she'd spent at Crimson.

"All right, then spill. Let me guess. It had something to do with that gorgeous specimen you get to call your boyfriend." Maxie couldn't help but smile at that comment. She had scored one of the most attractive men she'd ever seen. Lennon was insanely jealous, as were most of the other women and gay men who met Jensen. But he was all hers.

Maxie set aside the suede swatches and reached for her notepad. "Jensen's firm has this event on Sunday night and I still don't have my dress. Feddy told me he had the perfect thing but I haven't seen it yet."

"Which means you're freaking out because you don't know what shoes you're going to wear."

Even though they both worked in the fashion industry, Lennon and Maxie couldn't have had different styles. Lennon was very casual in her dress and didn't care about appearances much. She was happy in an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Occasionally she'd dress it up with a scarf and on very, very rare occasions, she'd wear heels. They would always be some sort of wedge though which didn't mean much in Maxie's opinion.

After jotting down her fabric preference, Maxie turned around in her chair and sent her friend a playful glare. "You know how important it is for Jensen for me to look put-together. There is a very good chance that he could be made partner soon. I don't want to wreck that by someone thinking that his girlfriend has no style." She knew that was probably a stretch, but it was still important to her. Jensen expected it too. Living in New York meant you always had to be on your game. Having an 'ugly day' was completely unacceptable. "If you haven't noticed, attorneys are very observant."

"Well, I know better than to argue with you over stuff like this. Federico won't let you down though. He never does." Lennon reminded her. Even though Lennon was technically Maxie's assistant, she never felt that way. From the moment the two women met, they'd hit it off. They'd been having fun ever since. "Also, he let's you call him 'Feddy.' I'm pretty sure his boyfriend doesn't even get to call him that."

Maxie let out a laugh. "You have a point." She was close with her boss which was something she was grateful for. It was important to Maxie that she form those bonds. Having been on her own in New York City, she'd grown up. There wasn't anything holding her back. There was no one judging her on her past mistakes. Leaving Port Charles behind was the best decision she'd ever made.

She was stifled in Port Charles. There was no room for her to do anything great with her life. Her family was there and there was no denying that she missed them, but she knew being in the city was the only option for her. She was at her happiest here.

Shoving aside the doubts about Federico, Maxie went back to work.

"Oh, Feddy, it's gorgeous!" Maxie gushed as she admired the dress her boss had presented her with. It was foolish of her to ever doubt him. Everything about the garment was total perfection. She wouldn't expect anything less from Federico, even though the skirt he'd designed was a total mess. She'd forgive him for that.

Maxie held the dress up to herself in front of the floor length mirror. The hem hit her perfectly and the neckline was low but still classy enough to suit the event she was attending. The deep purple hue looked flawless against her pale skin. "I don't know how to thank you. This is so perfect!" She hung up the dress before giving him a hug. "Maybe I'll have to get that naked picture of Jensen you've been wanting," she joked. Maxie felt so thankful and blessed because of the relationship she had with Federico. He was such an inspiration to her and he'd become a great friend. She never thought things would go that amazingly for her. It was almost too easy.

"I don't normally expect gifts, but I certainly would not turn that one down." Federico kissed her on the cheeks before leaving the girls to their work.

Lennon joined Maxie to stand in front of the dress. "See, nothing to worry about," she said, nudging Maxie with her elbow. "You are pretty much Federico's favorite person. This dress proves that. You saw the Oscar gown he made for Charlize. That doesn't even come close to this one."

A grin formed on Maxie's face. She let out a laugh. "What can I say? I'm a lucky girl."

"Understatement of the century." There were thousands of women who'd do anything for the chance to be in Maxie's Louboutin's. Lennon knew Maxie didn't take it lightly. She'd put in the work, albeit not as much as most had to, but she'd found her big break. She was incredibly lucky. The fashion world was huge, but also so tiny at the same time. It was all about who you knew and who was willing to help you. Sometimes talent didn't even factor in. Maxie had the talent though which was certainly a plus. Lennon had worked her way up from the bottom, coming across too many unsavory individuals along the way to count. She'd lucked out when Maxie came along, too.

"So what's going on after work? Date with Jensen?"

Maxie nodded. "Yeah. He made a reservation somewhere but I'm not sure which restaurant."

"Must be tough going to all the fancy places in the city every night," Lennon teased. She couldn't imagine living Maxie's life. Lennon liked to lead a simpler life; one that didn't involve one-hundred dollar entrees and four-hundred dollar red wine.

Maxie understood why Lennon felt the way she did. Although Maxie loved the extravagance of her life with Jensen, she also wished there was more of a balance. Beer and pizza was an acceptable date for her, but Jensen wouldn't go for it. He had a reputation to uphold at all times. Maxie was fine with it though. She'd learned to adapt to his lifestyle. It certainly wasn't terrible eating delicious meals each night. What happened after the meals was also quite delicious.

"Well, have fun. I'll see you on Monday. Text me if you get bored at that event. I know how big of a snoozefest lawyers can be."

Smirking, Maxie nodded. "Will do. Have a good weekend."

Lennon packed up her things and headed out, leaving Maxie alone in the room to ogle over the dress some more. Nothing like that would have happened to her if she was still in Port Charles. She wouldn't be dating a gorgeous attorney or having dresses custom made for her by one of the most amazing designers in the country. The sayings were all true. New York was where dreams were made into reality. Maxie was so incredibly proud that she'd managed to make her dreams come true. She still had more room to grow, but she was content for now. She couldn't have asked for for life to be going any better.

After slipping the dress back into the garment bag, Maxie straightened up her desk. She had grown to love the end of the work day. As she stacked fabric swatches and her notepads, it gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment. Picking up the pens, she returned them to their place before grabbing her purse. She pulled out her phone and called Jensen at his office, wanting to confirm their plans for the evening.

"Maxie, hello. I'll transfer you to Mr. Avery."

"Thanks, Britney." Maxie liked Jensen's secretary. They'd met several times and had gotten along. She was always quick to get Jensen on the phone which Maxie appreciated. She knew Jensen was busy at work, but he still always took the time to answer her call.

"Done with work?" He asked, not bothering with a greeting.

She smiled when she heard his voice. It was sexy, but then again, everything about the man was sexy. "Yes, just finished. Are we still on for dinner?"

There was a pause and she could hear papers rustling on the other end. "I'm afraid not. I need to get some things organized before I can get out of here tonight. I'll just have Britney order something."

"Oh, okay." Jensen canceled periodically for work reasons. Maxie wasn't about to complain though. What he was doing was important. She wouldn't appreciate him not supporting her career, so she always tried to be understanding of his. "Should I stop by later?"

"I don't know how late I'll be. Don't worry about it. We'll just plan on tomorrow, okay?"

Maxie was a little relieved to have a night to herself. It wasn't usual for her to have a Friday night with nothing to do, but she'd make the most of it. "Sure, of course. I'll call you tomorrow. Have a good night." She ended the call and slid her phone back into her purse. After slipping on her jacket, Maxie headed out of her office. She stopped to chat with a few people along the way before getting into the elevator.

Once out of the building, she took a left and walked down the street towards her apartment. It was a little breezy that evening and she was glad the walk wasn't long. The days were getting shorter as well. Something in a store window caught her eye as she walked by. Backtracking slightly, Maxie headed inside to have a look around. She never turned down a chance to shop.

Making her way over to a rack of postcards, the corners of Maxie's lips turned up into a small smile. She saw the beauty of New York City every day, but for some reason, the postcards amplified it. She picked up one of the skyline. The buildings were illuminated against the black backdrop of the night sky. Maxie had never seen a more perfect picture. She had no regrets about leaving Port Charles. New York was where she belonged now and it's where she planned on spending the rest of her life. She wanted to get married in the city and live in a gorgeous building. She wanted all of her important life moments to happen there. Setting the postcard back in it's proper spot, Maxie looked around for a few more moments before leaving the small shop.

She continued down the street, her heels clicking on the sidewalk with each step. It was her favorite sound. The sound gave her a sense of power and confidence. She held her head high and smiled as she kept walking.

As she made it to her apartment building, she swore to herself quietly. She'd forgotten her dress back at the office. She could have gone in the next day to grab it but she wanted to try it on and pick out her accessories before then. Turning around, she headed back down the street. Maxie ignored the pain in her feet as she made it back inside the building. She quickly retrieved the dress and was on her way again. It was beginning to get dark as she stepped onto the sidewalk once more. New York wasn't the safest place to walk around in the dark, but it was still early and there were plenty of people heading home from work just like her. She'd never felt like she was in danger and that night was no exception.

She folded the dress over her arm and walked at a brisk pace. She was not happy with her shoe selection, but she wasn't going to be caught dead in flats. Maxie believed that when someone worked in fashion, they should be fashionable themselves. Stepping over towards the side of a building, Maxie lifted up one foot to adjust her shoe. The heel was rubbing, making it uncomfortable to walk. "Beauty is pain," she mumbled to herself.

Out of nowhere, a hand covered her mouth. Maxie froze.

"Scream and I'll kill you." The man pressed the end of his gun into Maxie's side as he took his hand off her mouth and shoved her into the nearby alleyway.

Maxie wanted to scream but she didn't want to risk it. She'd been in a position like this before, several times actually, and knew she needed to stay calm.

"Just take it. Take whatever you want." She told him, inching backwards into the darkness as she held out her purse to the man. Keeping the dress close to her body. No way was she going to give that up.

The man, dressed in dark jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt, snatched her purse. He pulled out a black plastic sack and put her purse inside as Maxie stood there, cowering against the brick wall behind her. She couldn't see much of his face. She tried to get a good look at him like Mac had always taught her, but that was easier said than done.

The gun was still pointed in her direction as he came closer. "Hand it over," he commanded, gesturing to the garment bag. Maxie shook her head and the man glared. "Hand it over now, bitch, or you die."

Tears stung Maxie's eyes. "No!" she said firmly, desperate not to lose the one-of-a-kind creation.

Her attacker swung his arm, the pistol in his hand colliding with Maxie's cheek. She cried out in pain and let go of the dress, bringing her hands up to her face. Stumbling back, she fell to the ground as the man ran off.

She started sobbing as she curled up into a fetal position on the hard cement. It was dark now and she had never felt more alone. In the distance, she could see people walking down the street. No one even knew she was there, or maybe they did and just didn't care.

Something blocked her line of sight and Maxie's heart started pounding once again. "No... no, just leave me alone..." She whispered, hoping the man hadn't come back for something else. Maxie prided herself on being a strong woman but she didn't know if she'd be able to get over something like that.

"Are you all right?" It was a man's voice. It sounded familiar to Maxie and the presence did too but she couldn't place him. Whoever it was, she felt safe with him.

Slowly, she pushed herself up from the ground as the man came closer. He knelt beside her and his face came into view.

Maxie's jaw dropped as she looked up at the man. "Jason?"


End file.
